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Leverage has helped many companies migrate to IoT Core. During the migration process, we encountered many questions and knowledge gaps.
This guide consolidates our knowledge into a comprehensive resource that companies can use to replace IoT Core.
The guide:
- Outlines the requirements and criteria to ensure a successful IoT Core Migration.
- This document outlines key questions and considerations when choosing a technology partner and implementation partner.
- It provides step-by-step directions to migrate away from IoT Core.
- Identifies the key activities to be performed after migration, such as monitoring and optimization.
What Are The Requirements And Criteria For A Successful Iot Core Migration?
When Is The Deadline For Migration Off Iot Core?
Existing IoT core customers must migrate to a new service for device connections before August 16, 2023. After deprecation, the IoT Core Device Manager will not be accessible.
IoT devices won't be able to connect to Google Cloud IoT Core HTTP and MQTT bridges, and any existing connections will also be closed.
IoT Core clients who do not develop IoT Core functionality in-house or do not switch to a different technology partner by the deadline for deprecation will be unable to send or receive cloud server data.
When Should I Begin Preparing To Replace Iot Core?
The earlier, the better. Some organizations have waited too long and were surprised to find out that the migration took more time and effort than they anticipated.
The software migration will be easy if you select the right technology partner. Do not underestimate the complexity of operations.
Enterprise organizations can reduce the risk of service disruptions by starting the evaluation and implementation process as early as possible.
What Will Happen To My Devices If I Don't Update The Firmware On Them Between Now And August 16, 2023?
After the deprecation of IoT Core, devices without updated Firmware no longer have the ability to exchange data.
Before the deprecation, all devices must be updated.
We're sorry, but if you can't connect to or update your device before the date of deprecation, those devices won't be functional, and you should consider that they are lost.
Is it possible to build my own IoT Core?
The development of a smart solution that meets the requirements for a successful migration is a significant challenge.
The following are key requirements:
- Device Management: To build a robust system for device management, careful planning is required. This includes updating devices, decommissioning them, and registering the device.
- Security and Authentication: Implementing per-device PKI is complex. It is also important to ensure the security of the system as a whole in order to protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized entry.
- Scalability: Creating a system that is reliable and scalable, and can handle anywhere between dozens and millions of devices with low latency while maintaining high throughput and low latency, is a major technical challenge.
- Data Ingestion and Processing: To develop a seamless pipeline for data ingestion, processing, and analysis, it is necessary to integrate various components and services.
- Support and Maintenance of the System: If the system is developed in-house, it will require resources to maintain and support the system.
It's unlikely you'll be able to test and build a replacement for the IoT TECHNOLOGY before the deadline.
We recommend that you find a technology partner who can offer a ready-to-implement replacement. This will minimize your risk and cost.
How does a successful Google IoT Core Migration look?
The following criteria should be met for a successful migration:
- Completion Time: To be successful, a migration must be completed before the IoT Core Deprecation Date (August 16, 2023).
- Minimal Service Interruption: Migration should cause minimal disruptions to your IoT operation. Your team will be able to identify any problems early on by carefully planning and migrating test devices.
- Cost Effectiveness: Successful migration requires minimal engineering and cost effort to modify cloud-side code and update devices. By selecting a device connection service that has a similar architecture, compatible innovative technologies, and a lower cost, the migration can be streamlined.
- Functionality that is the same (or better): Your chosen IoT Core alternative replacement product quality should provide features similar to IoT Core. This will ensure your devices continue to receive and send data without losing functionality, even better if the replacement service offers additional functionality over and above what IoT Core provides.
- Future-Proofing and Scalability: Your IoT Core replacement should be able to support future growth as well as match your current IoT deployment. It is important to ensure that the service can support an increasing number of devices while still maintaining low latency.
- Maintain Security of Edge Devices: The safety of edge devices can be maintained by using certificates that are easily managed, updated, and revoked.
How Do I Evaluate And Select The Right Technology And Implementation Partner?
It is important to choose the right implementation and technology partner for a smooth transition from IoT Core.
Your decision-making should be guided by the following questions:
Does The Partner Offer The Same Features, Performance, Pricing, And Price Tiers As Iot Core While Offering Additional Capabilities?
Compare the pricing of the partner's offer to IoT Core. It is easier to compare the functionality and pricing of the partner's offering to Google IoT Core.
This will give you confidence that your migration can be smooth.
Enterprise customers should be able to connect their devices securely to the cloud using alternatives to IoT Core, manage devices within registries and groups of devices, and route data into a pub/sub-subject.
These alternatives should include device and registry management, secure key pair authentication, multiple protocols supported, and routing messages without code.
Is The Technology Partner Able To Provide You With A Seamless Path For Connecting Your Devices?
The IoT Core product from your technology partner should make it simple to create an account, create new device registries, and migrate existing certificates.
It should also be easy to add entries to the Registry.
Does The Hosting Option Of Your Partner Work With Your Business?
Hosting options from a partner should be tailored to your needs and preferences. Consider two major hosting options.
Option 1: Hosted Cloud Multi-tenant by the Connection Partner. This option is perfect for companies that want to outsource their infrastructure management so they can focus on core business.
Benefits include:
- Lower Maintenance and Update Burden: In this case, the connection partner will be responsible for maintaining and hosting the infrastructure as well as updating the platform.
- Predictable Costs: Billing can be based on usage, which is more appropriate for organizations that have variable device usage patterns.
Option 2: Private Cloud instance on your infrastructure. This option is for organizations that require more control over their infrastructure and information.
Benefits include:
- More Customization and Control: This option allows for greater flexibility in domain names, hosting, and infrastructure separation.
- Data Security and Privacy: Multi-tenant environments may offer a cost-effective option, but they might not provide the same level of isolation as private cloud instances. Your security team will have more control and visibility if the IoT Core product is installed in your infrastructure.
- Lower Costs Overall: While not guaranteed, it is possible that this option will result in lower costs overall since you are paying for the actual cloud costs (negotiated through a commitment agreement with Google Cloud) and modest product licensing fees.
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Is Regional Support Offered By The Partner?
For optimal performance, choose a partner who offers infrastructure near your devices. The location of the infrastructure is a major factor in latency.
The hosting solution you choose may be a factor in your latency requirements.
Does The Partner Provide A Complete, Well-Documented Api For Managing Devices And Registries?
It is important to have a comprehensive API that is well-documented for managing devices and integrating them with existing systems.
API documentation will be available from technology partners who have mature solutions for device connectivity.
What Connection And Authentication Protocols Are Compatible With My Existing Devices?
Verify the partner uses the same authentication methods and connection keys as your devices (RS256 or ES256).
Does The Partner Provide A Migration Service?
It is best to choose a partner who offers white-glove assistance for the migration of devices from IoT(internet of everything)
Core. This is especially important if your devices are used in mission-critical applications. It is possible to migrate the devices yourself using the documentation provided by the partner, but it may be more difficult and risky.
Idealerweise, this assistance will be provided free of charge by the technology partner.
Is The Partner Committed To Iot On A Long-Term Basis?
As part of the core product offering, ensure that partners are incentivized to maintain and improve their IoT service.
Partnering with technology platforms that are exclusively designed for IoT will ensure robust device connectivity capabilities.
It's more likely that you will have to migrate again in the future if the partner's business is not IoT.
What Is a Good Migratory Plan?
A good migration plan starts with deprecation and then builds up lead time for each step to be implemented well before August 2023.
Before selecting a technology provider, each migration step must be evaluated holistically. Be sure to include enough time in your migration schedule (1-4 weeks) so that you can evaluate the technology partner based on the questions from the previous section.
This time frame will vary depending on how long your company's normal procurement process is.
You will need to upgrade your device firmware to make your IoT solutions work after migration, regardless of the hardware and software architecture.
This requirement is frequently misunderstood. These libraries will not be supported if your devices are using Google's client libraries to connect with the IoT core.
You'll need an MQTT client or HTTP client other than Google's SDK. You will still need to update endpoints and authentication data for each device, even if you don't use Google SDKs.
This can be done relatively easily for your devices on the field if they support Firmware Over the Air. If not, then each device must be updated manually to ensure it continues to function as expected.
You should have a detailed plan to update each device manually in place if this is the case. This will have an operational impact on enterprises that have thousands of devices configured and installed. The impact will increase with the size deployment.
Sample Migration Plan
We've prepared a migration plan with timelines expected for each step. This can be used as a guide before and during the migration.
These timelines are heavily dependent on your specific enterprise IoT implementation.
After selecting a technology partner for IoT Core, you will need to follow four steps.
- Transfer your registry data to IoT Core Replacement Product.
- Upgrade the Firmware on all devices that will be integrated with the IoT Core Replacement product
- Upgrade your cloud infrastructure if needed
- Test your enterprise IoT solution
Step 1: Transfer your registry data to IoT Core
Example Timeline: You can expect to finish this step in 1 day with your technology partner.
Migration Tasks
- Create your new Registry
- Create a new account with your chosen technology partner.
- Create a device registry together with your technology partner
- (Optional). Migrate your existing X.509 certificate to sign the new Registry. Be aware that if a new X.509 certification is needed, all devices must have new certificates.
- Transfer Your Registry Data
- Start by adding a few test devices to the Registry. Include the device's authentication and identification details (public key) for each device.
- Repeat the testing step for all remaining devices. Your technology partner should be able complete this step automatically in one batch.
Step 2: Update Firmware on the device to integrate it with the technology partner
Example Timeline: This step can take from days to several months, depending on how many devices you have and whether or not they are able to be updated wirelessly.
Plan ahead if you have many devices that require direct touch to update.
Migration Tasks
- Replace Google IoT Core with an MQTT client library or HTTP client compatible with your device
- Change the connection partner (e.g., from broker.partner.com to googleapis.com).
- Verify that your device is capable of generating the authentication credentials required to connect to the service.
- Update JWT Payload if necessary
- Update the MQTT client_id if necessary
- Update the MQTT username and password, if necessary (note: For solutions similar to IoT Core, a username isn't needed, and the password is JWT).
- If a new X.509 Certificate is required for the Registry, create new public/private keys for each device.
Step 3: Upgrade your cloud services if necessary
Example Timeline: This step can take several days, depending on how many services you use that interact with Google IoT Core API.
Migration Tasks
- Remove any Google SDKs from any cloud services you use that communicate with the IoT Core API. Replace them with components available on the market for communicating with your connection partner's API.
Step 4: Test your enterprise IoT solution
Sample Timeline: This step should take about one day.
- Connect your device to our new technology partner service
- Send data to the final processor, such as a Pub/Sub Subscriber.
- Send data from your device to ensure that data is received
- Send configuration data to the device from the cloud and make sure it is received
- Cloud automations can create/read/update/delete devices, registries, etc.
Read More: What are the Biggest Benefits from Smart Manufacturing Software
What Are The Key Actions After Migrating To Iot Core?
It's important to optimize and monitor the performance of the devices you have connected and the new device connectivity service after the migration.
After migration, perform these five tasks:
- Monitor the Device's Performance: Assess your devices' performance, paying particular attention to changes in latency or connectivity.
- Verify Security and Privacy: Verify the new connection partner maintains a similar level of data security and privacy to Google IoT Core.
- Optimize Communication between Devices: Adjust the communication settings of the device to improve performance. For example, adjust the MQTT Quality of Service levels or change the frequency at which data is transmitted.
- Review Cost Management and Billing: Make sure your organization gets the most value out of the new device connectivity service by analyzing pricing tiers.
- Collect Feedback from Users: Gather input from users and other stakeholders in order to assess the success of migration and identify areas for improvement.
Understanding the requirements of your IoT solutions and working with the correct technology partner will help you ensure continuity in your IoT operations.
You should begin your migration as quickly as possible in order to avoid disruptions once Google IoT Core becomes obsolete.
Aws Iot Core Features To Be Aware Of
AWS IoT Core allows you to connect devices with AWS and other devices and safeguard data. You can also process device data and analyze it, and communicate within applications, even when the devices are not online.
AWS IoT core has many features.
AWS IoT device SDK
AWS IoT Devices SDK allows you to connect your hardware or mobile device quickly and easily to AWS IoT Core. Your devices can connect to AWS IoT Core using the MQTT protocol, HTTP, or WebSockets and authenticate themselves.
Device Advisor
It is important to verify the interoperability of the device. AWS experts can help you resolve software-related problems with devices before deploying them in production.
Device Gateway
Cloud computing is a common requirement for devices. We offer secure connections and semantics implementations of various protocols, including HTTP 1.1 and WebSockets.
Message Broker
With Message Broker, you can send and receive as many messages as you want. This capability is integrated by our experts to provide secure communication transfers in the cloud.
Authentication
AWS IoT Core provides mutual authentication and encryption for all points of connection. AWS consultants use the tool to create, distribute and administer rules and certificates for devices.
Rules Engine
To send commands to devices, a rules engine is required. AWS rules engine allows you to route messages using a function or rule to AWS devices and endpoints.
Register Now
The Registry allows you to store device metadata at no additional cost. The metadata will not expire as long as you change or view your registry entry every seven years.
AWS IoT Core is a LoRaWAN-compatible core
AWS IoT core for LoRaWAN allows customers to connect wireless devices using low-power and long-range wide-area network technology.
Basic Station is an open-source LoRaWAN Gateway-LNS protocol. This means that no custom gateway software has to be developed or tested in order to connect LoRaWAN Gateways to AWS IoT Core.
Amazon Sidewalk Integration
Amazon Sidewalk, a shared network that improves performance for connected devices, offers enhanced connectivity.
Amazon runs Sidewalk at no charge to the consumer. Amazon Sidewalk integration makes it easy to install new devices, increases the range that low-bandwidth products can operate at, and keeps devices connected when they're not in the range of the home Wi-Fi.
Amazon Sidewalk Integration allows you to quickly and easily onboard Sidewalk device fleets into AWS IoT Core.
Alexa Voice Service (AVS) integration
Alexa Voice Service was used to develop devices with a microphone or speaker, which are part of Alexa Built-in. You can scale your business MODEL and bring voice-forward, distinctive products to market quickly with AVS Integration.
AVS Integration for AWS IoT Core allows you to move media retrieval, audio decoding, and audio mixing from a physical device into a virtual Alexa Built-in device.
Device Shadow
The Device Shadow allows you to store your device's state for free for up to a year. The Device Shadow will not expire if you update it at least once a year.
Device Shadow offers REST APIs that are always available, which makes it easier to create applications for your devices.
Benefits from AWS IoT Core Migration
AWS IoT offers significant improvements in terms of security, accessibility, and interoperability. AWS IoT core has many additional benefits.
Accelerated IoT App Development
AWS IoT Core allows you to create IoT applications that are reliable and allow you to control your connected devices all from one location.
This reduces the complexity of the development process and speeds up the time to market. It also saves time and money.
Serves as Serverless Architecture
A serverless application will help your business owner to manage a remote server or create your own server. It also provides rapid access across many IoT-enabled devices while giving you full control over your application.
Server maintenance is not a problem with a serverless design.
Integration with AWS
One of the most significant advantages of AWS IoT Core is its ability to integrate with other AWS services during AWS IoT Core's development.
Amazon's cloud services are easy to use, such as AWS CloudTrail and AWS Lambda. They also include Amazon Simple Storage Services, Amazon DynamoDB (S3), Amazon QuickSight (QS), Amazon Kinesis, and Alexa Voice Services.
Security is a Priority
Data security is an important issue for any corporation that integrates IoT into its business processes. To stop cyberattacks, your company's data must be protected by strong security standards.
AWS IoT Core offers the highest level of security for data flow between connected devices and applications.
Simplifies Device Administration
AWS IoT Core allows you to connect an increasing number of devices securely to the cloud. It also allows you to create an application interface that is easy to use to manage connected devices securely and privately from a central place.
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Conclusion
No matter the budget, scope, or sector of the organization, we are aware that switching to a new IoT platform is not simple.
Fortunately, qualified AWS partners and/or IoT app development ,smart manufacturing specialists can handle all the grunt work and assist you in putting a successful migration strategy in place that is in line with your key business needs. For a quick consultation on transitioning to AWS IoT Core, get in touch with our experts.
